1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a scraper-chain conveyor for use in mineral mining installations and more particularly to connection means and devices used to connect the individual channel sections or pans of the conveyor together.
2. Description of Prior Art
The pans of conveyors are usually connected, as is known, in a tension-resistant manner by means of strong connections such that they can perform slight relative angular movements in the vertical and horizontal planes. As connecting elements there are normally used, in addition to screw bolts and eyelets, in particular threadless toggle bolts resembling dog-bones which are inserted in pockets in the side walls of the conveyor pans and secured therein by means of special securing elements (DE-PS 30 42 537, DE-PS 26 36 527, DE-OS 36 27 207). The pockets for the toggle bolts can be formed by V-shaped grooves in the pan side walls or by coupling parts welded into these grooves which engage one in another in the manner of a mortise and tenon joint between the conveyor pans.
In known installations, plough guides are fitted on the working face side or the goaf side of the conveyor pans. Within the guide there are passages separated by spacers and through which a chain for drawing the plough runs. Covering hoods or covering plates or the like close off the passages for the plough chain. It is known that the conveyor pan connections can be arranged, not directly on the side walls of the conveyor pans, but on the parts of the plough guide connected to the side walls of the conveyor pans. In a known design of this type, eyelets which are placed on the conveyor pans on pegs of the spacers of the plough guide are used as connecting elements (DE-PS 27 51 458). The arrangement is such that the covers which can be swung toward the working face from the closed positions secure the eyelets in pocket recesses of the spacers. If the conveyor pan connections are arranged in the V-shaped grooves of the conveyor pans behind the plough guide on the side wall using the space available, the connecting elements are not accessible without dismantling the plough guide. This applies, in particular, in the case of plough guides mounted on the working face side of the conveyor pans.